Method of manufacturing acetoneformaldehyde condensation products



Patented June 9, 1953 METHOD OF 'MAnU AdTURiNG' ACETONE- f I FORMALDEHYDE CONDENSATIQN PROD- Dmitry Gagaripe, Danville, 1 Va., assignor to Dan River Mills, Incorporated, a corporation of Virginia No Drawing. Application May 12, 1949,

Se rial No. 92,958 d In my copending application Serial No. 782,675,

filed October' 28, 1947, and allowed February 8,

1949 (now Patent No. 2,486,399, issued November 1, 1949), I have disclosed a process of producing a copolymer of starch-formaldehyde and acetone-formaldehyde, in which the starch is first reacted with the formaldehyde in the presence of alkali catalysts, and a mixture of formaldehyde and acetone, separately prepared, is then reacted with the starch-formaldehyde-alkali catalyst mixture and the resulting mixture promptly placed in a plurality of relatively small, strong containers wherein the condensation reaction is carried out to produce the final copolymer. This procedure with the production of the copolymer of starch-formaldehyde-acetoneformaldehyde gives optimum results when the final condensation reaction product is used on textiles for effecting shrinkage setting and other desirable characteristics. ,However, in some instances, it may be necessary to produce only the acetone-formaldehyde condensation product, in-

stead of the copolymer, and I desire to cover in the present continuation-impart application that adaptation of my improved process which is referred to but is not fully disclosed and is not claimed in my above copending application.

I recognize that it has been proposed in the prior art to produce an acetone-formaldehyde condensation reaction product for use on textiles, but the prior proposals have been subject to certain practical disadvantages that have limited commercial utilization of the process and product. Illustrative of the prior patents is Zwicky et a1. Patent 2,159,875, patented May 23, 1939, wherein it is proposed to carry out the condensation reaction according to either of two alternative procedures. One of these procedures comprises the use of a strong alkali catalyst, such as, for example, caustic soda, and cooling the reaction with ice to prevent it from becoming too violent. The other procedure comprises the use of a milder alkali, i. e., calcined soda, and

heating of the reaction mixture. Both of these procedures are characterized by difiiculty of control of the reaction within a reasonably short time and without the reaction becoming too violent or getting out of control.

In accordance with my invention, Ihave dis covered a procedure by which the condensation reaction between the acetone and formaldehyde may be carried out without the use of any cooling or heating of the reaction mixture and nevertheless with very accurate control of the condensation reaction to produce the desired end .1 Claim. (Cl. 260-64) product; that is, a substantially neutral, water soluble product which may be applied to textiles,

along with a regulated amount of alkali catalyst, to provide shrinkage resistance and other desired features in the textile.

The secret of success of this improved process resides in the use of a combination of a strong and a mild alkali catalyst to control the condensation reaction, and-in dividing up the rewith a regulated amount of mild alkali, such as,

for example, sodium carbonate, which will cause a more protracted reaction during the time the reaction mixture is contained in the closed barrels. The caustic alkali or strong catalyst starts a condensation reaction which is exothermic in nature and the temperature of the mixture begins to rise. The amountjof this strong catalyst is limited so that it soon exhausts, and the reaction does not become too violent in this initial stage. This part'of the reaction may be carried out in an open vessel such as a large mixing tank; and after thorough mixing is obtained the product is drawn off into the necessary number of steel drums or barrels. By-limiting the amount of the strong alkali catalyst, the usual violent reaction which accompanies use of such a catalyst with acetone and formaldehyde, is avoided at room temperature. No icing of the reaction vessel is needed, and no heat is required.

I have discovered by careful control of the amounts of the strong and weak alkalis that the initial reaction can be made to proceed quietly fora suflicient period of time to barrel or conable pressure and heat are generated by the subsequent exothermic condensation reaction.' For example, in a typical case the temperature of the condensation mixture in the steel drums Will rise to a maximum of about 97 C. and a pressure words, the end product is only partially condensed and is therefore not in an insoluble state, but, on the contrary, is complet'ely miscible with water. Also, it is potentially reactive with the cellulose of the textile materials to which it is to be applied, in the presence-eta smallzamount of alkali.

The alkali catalysts that may be used in the condensation reaction comprise strong alkalis such as sodium hydroxide and 'potassiumliydroxide, and milder alkalis such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, trisodium phosphate, upotassium phosphate, and sodium sulfide. I have found it advantageous; in commercialpractice. of the invention, to use a combination of sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate. The strongalkali, .-e.:g.v sodium hydroxide, maybe used in-an-amount of about 0.1% to 1.5%, and the mild alkali, es'g. sodium-carbonate, about 0.2% to 3-%,-.based on thetotal weight of the condensation reactants. RA typical commercial example approximately 0.25 of-sodium hydroxide and 0.7 sodium'car- "bonate.

The ratio of theamount of acetone to the amount of formaldehyde may b varied over a considerable-range, such'as 1 mol ofv acetoneto .2 to 6 mols of formaldehyde. In the'usualcase .the :ratio is-approximately vl-mol of acetone to about-2 to 4 mols of-formaldehyde.

An illustrative but non-limiting exampleof-the .process of my invention for producing the-acetone formaldehyde condensation product is .as follows:

7 Pounds 37 formaldehyde 950 Sodiumhydroxide '2.5 Sodafash 6.5 Water 3'7 Acetone 1'7 1 Mix th v f ormaldehydezan'dracetone;dissolve. the catalyst'in' water and add to the mixture. -.Other aprocedures formixing maybe used solongias the --soda'ash.-is first 'dissolvedin theiwaterorawater 5 .and formaldehyde mixture, before mixing ':with the acetone. It is importantto have the sodium hydroxide "dissolved, :as distinguished. from solid --sodium' hydroxide which would not'give' the dez'sired initial, mild-and .uniformrreaction.

After mixingas'above described-thefinal'mix- *tur is run into :conventional 55.-.-gallon -=-.steel drums which will withstand the pressure-developed during the subsequent condensation reaction. The fillingof' these drums, requiresusually;

about thirty minutes. total time; .and J. regulate :the amount of sodium hydroxide catalyst so that itwill not cause any-violent reaction within this time limit. The initial reaction,..as well asthat which takesplace in th steel drumsffor. producing the acetone formaldehyde condensation prodnot, is carried out at room temperature and without any refrigeration and without the additionof any artificial heat. Afterfilling'thenrums are tightlyiclosed. 7

'In' the steel-drums, the condensation reaetion proceeds rather slowly for about *an hour =and='=a half and then suddenly'becomesvigorouspat which time the above-mentioned temperature::of 97; C. and pressure ofabout 16apoundazpersquaretinch ..250-350 '.to .a residual moisture content: of

are established. This vigorous reaction then subsides and the pH diminishes over a period of about forty hours to a final pH value of about 7, at which time the catalysts employed have been exhausted. When the condensation. reaction has "stopped, "the final product is a clear,-:eolorless, syrupy liquid; it has only a faint odor of acetone .and formaldehyde and has the following charac- 'teristics:

Flash point, none.

Water solubility, completely soluble 25 C. :Fre'e iformaldehy'de by sodium sulfite method,

about 6%.

This final reaction product may be diluted with -=water-'to any desired concentration and is ready for use in the treatment of textiles when accompanied by a small amount of alkali catalyst which will cause the product'to react with the cellulose -.;of the textiles.

Z'I'heprocedure .describedhereinabovein which the'initialcondensation reaction product is divided into a plurality vofsmallerunits or amounts,

contemplates commercial size production .of .the product of several hundred or several thousand gallons and which total amount .may .be divided up 'for filling 'thenecessary nun'ibenof 55.-,.gallon .steel drums. ".It willlbe appreciated o'f course, .that'the invention'is not limited to .any specific number of subdivisions of'the' initial productan'd, in jfact, if .only a small amount, suchas .10o.,ga1-

lons or'less, of the p'ro'dutfis .ma'de .up.;at.one time,.it need not be subdividedlbutmay be .containedin asinglasuitable closed vessel.

.The acetoneformaldehyde condensationpro'duct,prepare.d as described above'.is..suitableffor treating textiles,,such. as cotton clothfor fiecting shrii'lkage setting. 'Theproductmayiloe applied as such or other materials may be.added.to itlto give improved results. For example starch or any of the other high,po1ymeric,,.polyhydricalcohols disclosed in my above copen'di-ng application, .e.,,, g. cellulose, 'dextrmes,,polyvinyl alcohol and hydroxy eithyl .c'elli'ilose may be added tofthe aqueous acetone Jformaldehyde solution with which the cloth is;padded.

{To cause the above solutionto react With;the cellulose of thecloth andproduce celluloseethers, a suitable catalyst isadded'v to? the solution. These catalysts .inclu'de sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and sodaash. lna'typica-l case'j'I use .-.2.% sddaashor abouum-or thecaustio alkali. .The cloth ispadded With the: solution containing thecatalyst and driedsatratemperature Of -"about about. 5-.%7or less. -.The.'dryingatimeunel'er these icon'ditions is-usuallysaboutr20 to. 60: seconds.

Iaclaim: v-:"A,iprocessazof: proiducin'gaan acetoner'formalde- :hyde :conden sation (reaction: product -':comprising zprepafingzarsolutionoof onennolsof acetone; from about two to:fou1r=mols..of Zformaldehydezapproxi- ::mately 01% t0.'l'i5'%OfUSQdium*hSldl'OXi-dflfifi' 5 -strong alkali"catalystrand'iapproximately,-();g-

;l*3l%.esodium-zcanbonate asea milder-alkali catalyst, 1 based 5011i the ztotal -:weight act 7 the rz-condensation reactants, dividing this rso lutionfintonat'plurality -of2relativelycsmall zbatches-iami confining: each of cthesetibatches .fprior to any substantial freaction sin"separateftightlyesealedssubstantiallyfilledpon- -tainers:capable:of withstandingepressures of about F-l fizpoundslper.squareinchavherein:the.condensa- --:t1orr'reaction mayitakeplaceover-a period-ole time 1 *witlnabontrolled. rise in .-temperature.and-.increase in pressure within each of the containers, and maintaining said reaction mixture within the containers until the catalysts have exhausted and the resulting acetone-formaldehyde condensation References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Ellis July 29, 1924 Number Number Name Date 1,683,535 Ellis Sept. 4, 1928 2,159,875 Zwicky et a1 May 13, 1939 2,486,399 Gagarine Nov. 1, 1949 5 2,495,233 Drisch et a1. Jan. 24, 1950 OTHER REFERENCES Houwink Elastomers and Plastomers (Elsevier) vol. 2, pp. 119 and 133. 

